1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an arrangement for axially displacing rolls in rolling mill stands. The rolls of the rolling mill stand are supported in roll supports or chocks which are adjustably and slidably guided in the roll housings of the stand. The rolls are displaceable by means of hydraulic piston-cylinder units which are supported relative to the roll housing and are connected to the supports of the bearings of the rolls. The bearings of the rolls are axially slidable within the roll supports and a sliding guide is arranged on the roll support for a sliding carriage which supports a coupling device for the roll neck. The hydraulic piston-cylinder units are articulated to the sliding carriage. The coupling device includes drive members which are slidable in radial guides and can be placed in an annular groove of the roll neck. The coupling device is supported by the neck bushing of a deep-groove-type radial roller bearing which is immovably arranged in the sliding carriage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Arrangements of the above-described type are known, for example, from German Offenlegungsschrift 35 21 180. In cluster row stands including work rolls, intermediate rolls and back-up rolls, these arrangements serve to axially displace by a given distance the intermediate rolls and/or the work rolls. In the embodiment of the arrangement described above, the coupling device is arranged on the end face of the neck bushing of the deep-groove-type of the radial roller bearing which faces away from the roll neck. The coupling device includes a support member which is connected to the neck bushing and has coupling members as drive members which are placeable in an annular groove of the roll neck. The coupling device further includes a sliding sleeve which is axially slidable over the support member and which effects a radial displacement or pivoting of the drive members. The drive members are constructed as drive blocks with central recesses which are displaceable in radial guide grooves of the support member. The first ends of double levers mounted in the support member engage in these central recesses and the second ends of the double levers rest against inwardly facing guide tracks of the sliding sleeve. A load can be applied to the drive blocks by clamping guides of the sliding sleeves which extend inwardly and narrow conically.
The known arrangement has the disadvantage that the structural length in axial direction is great because it is arranged outside of the deep-groove-type radial roller bearing at the end face thereof and, thus, the neck bushing is subjected to a bending load. In addition, the arrangement is structurally complicated because of the numerous slotted guides which require chip-removing work. Also, due to the length of the roll neck and the masses which rotate outside of the deep-groove-type radial roller bearing, harmful vibrations occur because the imbalances within the construction cannot be entirely eliminated.
It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for the axial displacement of rolls in rolling mill stands in which the above-described disadvantages and difficulties are avoided.